Closure fastener



Feb. 12, 1929.

T. O. SCHRADER CLOSURE FASTENER Filed April 1927 Patented Feb. 12, 1929.

hearse s'ra'rss PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS O. SCHRAIOER, OF ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE DENT HARDWARE COMPANY, OF FULLERTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOSURE FASTENER.

Application filed April 9, 1927. Serial No. 182,468.

10 means just referred to is caused to be re leased by engagement of the bolt with the keeper when the closure is swung to its closed position, the bolt snapping behind a shoulder on the keeper to firmly press the closure against its frame.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved fastener operating as Just described, but; which fastener is free 7 from latches or cooperating shoulders to hold its swinging bolt in retracted position when the bolt is withdrawn from behind the usual up standing keeper shoulder.

A. further ob ect of the invention is to provide a closure fastener equipped with spring means to project the bolt toward its operative position, the spring means being so ar' ranged that the direction of the spring thrust is changed with respect to the pivot of the bolt when the bolt is retracted to the end that said thrust may effectively retain the bolt in its raised position until it is caused to be partly moved to its operative position wlum. 'ing snaps the bolt positively to its oporai .ve position behind the keeper shoulder.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure fastener of the type that is tripped by the keeper when the closure is swung'to its scat which is extremely simple in construction, and embodies few parts, yet is thoroughly effective in operation.

Other objects of the invention will appear asa description of the invention proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawing in which, p I

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of the improved fastener in applied position, showing thebolt in engagement with the keeper.

2 is an end elevation of the parts shown in 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the fastener, the

end

usual cover plate being removed to show the interior construction, the parts being shown in. dotted lines in their position when the bolt retracted.

Fig. 4; is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a modification. 1

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures.

in the drawings, numeral 5 indicates a swinging closure, such as a refrigerator door, arranged to swing toward and from a frame 6 andseat firmly thereagainst. The fastener of this invention includes a bolt 7 preferably pivoted on a stud 8 projecting inwardly from afastener housing 90f any approved con struction. Housing 9 may be secured to the closure by screws 10 or in any other suitable way. Stud 8 may be bored and tapped, as shown at 11, to receive the-screw that serves tosecure the usual cover plate (not shown) to close the rear of the'fastener. i

Bolt 7 is provided with a handle 12 that, in the form shown, swings in a plane parallel to the face of the closure. Any convenient means may be employed to swing the bolt about its pivot. The end of the bolt that en gages the keeper 13 is preferably provided with an inclined front face lat and a rear face having an inclined or rounded, surface 15 (see Fig. for. a purpose presently to be described. I

Pivoted in a recess 10 in bolt 7 on a pin 17' is ashort link 18 arranged to swing between shoulders lfland 2O constituting sides of said recess. Preferably. link 18 is provided with a seat 21 for the downturned end of a leaf spring 22 secured to the housing 9 in any approved manner. Obviously the end of spring 22 may be operatively connected to link 18 in a number of ways, it being only necessary to have the spring exert a thrust ina directionsubstantially endwise of the link and to permit a slight relative tilting movement of the link relative to the spring 'A grooved member 22 is secured to housing 9, said member serving toprovide an abutment for spring 22 between its ends.

In the modification shown in'Fig. 4, alink orparallel links 23 are pivoted in a recess in bolt-7 as above described. In this form of the invention a vdifierent type of spring 24 is ioo used. One end of this spring is preferably provided with an eye to receive a pin 26 passing through the end of link or links 23. The other end 27 of spring rests against and may be secured to the outwardly projecting wall of the housing 9 in any suitable manner. The intermediate portion of this spring is coiled around a pin 28, one or more times as may be desired. Pin 28 is secured within the housing 9 in any suitable way.

Keeper-'13 is provided with an outwardly projecting portion 29 having an upstanding projection 30 having suitably inclined front and rear faces 31 and 32, the latter matching surface 1 1 on bolt 7. Keeper 13 is also formed with a second outward projection 33 arranged above projection 29. Projection 33 is provided with a rearwardly rounded or inclined surface S-l arranged in position to engage rounded or inclined surface 15 of bolt 7 when the bolt is in its retracted position.

In operation, when it is desired to open the door the handle 12 is grasped and depressed swinging the bolt 7, link 18 and the end of spring 22 from its full line position in Fig. 3 to the dotted line position of these parts as shown in this figure. It will be observed that in the dotted line position the thrust of the end of spring 22 passes through, or slightly to the right viewing Fig. 3, of the plane containing the axes of link pivot 17 and bolt pivot 8. Spring 22 in this position biases the bolt in its elevated or retracted position and the bolt remains in this position as the door is swung open. When it is desired to close and latch the door, the latter may be swung gently toward its closed position. The rounded surface 15 of bolt 7 then engages surface 3 1 of keeper 13 thus causing the bolt to swing about its pivot 8. It will be readily appreciated that as soon as the end of the bolt 7 is moved toward the full line or operative position in Figure 3, the toggle formed by link 18 and the portion of the bolt l'ietween pin 17 and pivot S is broken and the thrust of spring 22 forcibly rotates the bolt about its pivot, causing the end of the bolt to snap behind projection 30 of keeper 13, the inclined surfaces l l on the bolt and 32 on the keeper cooperating to press the door firmly againstits frame. The actuation of the fastener as justdescribed is comparatively noiseless, since it is unnecessary to slam the door to cause the bolt end to ride over the inclined surface 31 of keeper 13 and compress the spring that projects it, though as shown on the drawings surface 81 is pro-.

vided to thus retract the bolt if it should inadvertently be released "from its retracted position while the door isopen.

The operation ofthe form shown in Fig. 4 is the sameas that above describedwith reference to'Fig. 3. Link 23 forms a toggle joint with that portion of the bolt 7 between the bolt pivot and the pivotal connection between link and bolt. The coil spring exerts a thrust substantially toward the bolt pivot. As in the form shown in Fig. 3 when the axis of the pin connecting link 23 in or slightly to the right of the line of thrust the bolt is biased in its retracted or raised position. In use it is tripped by the keeper as above described, when the spring projects the bolt behind the upstanding keeper shoulder formed by projection 30.

The invention has been above described in considerable detail. It should be understood, however, that the invention does not reside in such detail but that the scope thereof is to be determined from the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A closure fastener comprising a housing designed to be secured to a closure, a bolt pivoted in said housing and arranged to swing in a plane parallel to the face of the closure, a handle formed with said bolt to swing therewith as a unit, and spring means within said housing and arranged to exert a pressure in planes parallel to or coincident with the plane of movement of the bolt and elements associated with said means and bolt to cause the bolt to be held in retracted position by said means and to forcibly project the bolt toward its operative position when the bolt is moved toward the latter position.

2. A closure fastener comprising a housing designed for attachment to the face of a swinging closure, a bolt pivoted in said: housing, a spring arm in said housing, and a link pivoted to said bolt at one end and engaging the end of said spring arm at its other end, the spring arm and link being sov arranged that the bolt is biased toward its retracted position when withdrawn and projected toward its operative position when caused to he moved toward said last named position.

8. A closure fastener comprising a housing, a bolt having an integral handle pivoted in said housing, a member pivoted to said bolt adj accnt thebolt pivot and extending laterally therefrom,and a spring arm secured to the housing adjacent one end and having its free end engaging the end'of said 7 member and exerting a thrust endwise there of, the bolt pivot and the pivot of said memher being so arranged that a portion of said bolt and said member constitute a toggle joint that is broken when the bolt is in its operative position.

l. A closure fastener comprising a housing, a bolt pivoted in said housing, a handle to manipulate said bolt, a link pivoted to said handle at a point spaced lengthwise of saidbolt from the bolt pivot and extending laterally from said bolt, a spring secured to the housing adjacent one end and having a free end engaging upon the end of said link and exerting a thrust substantially toward position the line of thrust of said spring is the link pivot, the pivot of the bolt and the shifted substantially to one side of the bolt pivot of the link being so disposed that When pivot. r p

the bolt is in its retracted position both piv- In testimony whereof I hereby aflix my 5 ots are positioned substantially in the line of signature.

thrust of said spring and so that when the bolt is moved substantially from its retracted THOMAS O. SCHRADER. 

